"What gift is it? Take it out quickly and let me see it," Li Xue said.
"A skin care and beauty cosmetic, like the harem of the Golden Kingdom, there should be many such cosmetics, but this cosmetic is different from the others and must be better than what they use."
After Zhao Xian finished speaking, he took out two boxed gifts from the small wooden box and placed them in front of Li Xue.
Li Xue was very familiar with skincare and beauty cosmetics. She had plenty of cosmetics used by the royal family of the Great Northern Dynasty, and was very interested in the two boxes of cosmetics that Zhao Xian had taken out.
Li Xue opened the cosmetics box, inside which were two bottles, one tall and one short, crystal clear and jade green.
The bottles used for cosmetics were also made of glass. Because their color was similar to that of jade, people at that time would definitely regard the two bottles as high-quality jade products.
Regardless of the quality of the cosmetics inside, these two bottles alone are priceless.
Li Xue was stunned, and it took her a long time to react before she spoke:
"These cosmetics are too expensive. The Queen and Princess of the Golden Kingdom will definitely love them."
Two days later, with everything ready, the group bid farewell to the villagers, left the village, and embarked on their journey to the capital of the Golden Kingdom.
The capital of the Kingdom of Jindian is located in the central region. It takes three or four days to travel from here to the capital. In other words, it only takes seven or eight days to travel from south to north in the Kingdom of Jindian.
The group traveled non-stop, and three days later they arrived at Jinhekou, the capital of the Kingdom of Jindian.
Jinhekou is located in the tropics, but it is not as hot as one might imagine. On the contrary, the climate is pleasant and suitable for living.
As expected of a national capital, Jinhekou has a large population with diverse skin colors and languages, indicating that many people here come from other countries.
The group was quite interested in this exotic atmosphere, but it was getting late, so they needed to find an inn to stay in.
At this moment, Sun Heng came in handy. He immediately stepped forward to talk to the manager of the post station, but the manager looked embarrassed.
Zhao Xian estimated that he had brought too many people and the post station might not be able to accommodate them. However, this was the capital city, and the post station here should be very large. He only brought about thirty people, which was more than enough to accommodate them.
Zhao Xian remained calm and handed a large silver ingot to the innkeeper. This ingot was worth at least twenty taels of silver.
The manager was taken aback and hadn't yet figured out what was going on when Sun Heng spoke up.
"This is a tip for you, please accept it, sir, and do us a favor."
Sun Heng spoke the language of the Kingdom of Jindian, which Zhao Xian and Li Xue could not understand. However, seeing the manager's beaming face as he quickly registered them, they knew that their accommodation had been arranged.
After the group settled in, Zhao Xian prepared to go to the palace the next day. In order to meet the emperor of Jindian Kingdom smoothly, Zhao Xian began to make arrangements.
Early the next morning, in the royal palace of the Golden Kingdom, civil and military officials went to court early.
After all, it was a small country, and the total number of civil and military officials in the court was only about twenty.
At this moment, the emperor sat on the high hall. Although he was the ruler of the country, he felt that he had long been usurped by the power of the two major families. He wanted to make a difference, but he was short of money.
In the Kingdom of Jindian, once a government decree infringes upon the interests of the Xie and Peng families, it becomes difficult to implement.
The emperor glanced at the ministers below the hall. Many of them were spokespeople for these two families, and they influenced the country's policies for their own benefit.
As usual, the Emperor began by saying, "My dear ministers, do you have anything to report?"
At this moment, the Left Chancellor stepped forward and spoke:
"Your Majesty, this year's rainy season has seen frequent torrential rains, causing multiple breaches in the banks of the Luo Gong River, severely damaging orchards and fruit orchards along its banks."
Your Majesty, I humbly request that the dikes along both banks of the Luo Gong River be reinforced and that water conservancy facilities be constructed on both sides. I wonder what Your Majesty's opinion is.
Upon hearing this, the emperor was immediately troubled. Reinforcing the river embankment and building water conservancy projects would cost a fortune.
Currently, the imperial court cannot afford a single tael of silver. The economic lifeline of the Jindian Kingdom is basically controlled by the Xie and Peng families. The imperial court relies on the charity of these two families to use silver.
The fact that the Left Chancellor brought this up at this time is unclear, but one thing is certain: he is trying to secure benefits for both families.
The emperor wanted to see what kind of wicked scheme this Left Chancellor was up to, and with that thought, he spoke:
"What the Left Chancellor says makes sense. It is certainly a good thing to reinforce the Luo Gong River embankment and build water conservancy projects on both banks. However, the court simply does not have the funds. I wonder if the Left Chancellor has any solutions to this problem?"
After pondering for a moment, the Left Chancellor said, "Your Majesty, I think the only way to resolve this matter is to seek help from the Xie and Peng families."
"Either next year the imperial court will only take 10% of the profits from their oriole and fruit business, and the two families will jointly undertake the reinforcement of the dikes and the construction of water conservancy facilities along the Luo Gong River. What does Your Majesty think?"
The emperor immediately understood the Left Chancellor's meaning: if the court only collected 10% of the profits from the two major families' businesses, then from now on, that would be the only amount collected each year.
This would make it impossible for the royal family to live a normal life, something the emperor would never agree to.
"The Xie and Peng families each year only give the imperial court 20% of their operating profits."
The imperial court and the royal family scrimped and saved, cutting all unnecessary expenses, which was just enough to maintain the normal operation of the court.
If, as the Left Chancellor wishes, the court only takes 10% of their profits, where will the salaries of all the ministers come from? Are you trying to leave so many members of the royal family starving? This matter need not be discussed further; I will not agree to it.”
The Left Chancellor wanted to say something, but seeing the Emperor's angry expression, he dared not say anything.
The court fell silent instantly; you could hear a pin drop. The Left Chancellor had been reprimanded by the Emperor, and no one else dared to speak.
Just then, someone came to report from below the hall:
"Your Majesty, an envoy from the Great Northern Dynasty wishes to pay his respects."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor was stunned. The Great Northern Dynasty was located north of the Golden Kingdom, and due to the obstruction of mountains, the two countries had never had any contact.
The emperor dreamed of opening trade with the Northern Dynasty to alleviate the predicament of the Golden Kingdom, but he knew it was a fantasy that could not be realized.
Seeing that the emperor was in a daze, the messenger assumed he hadn't heard clearly and had to call out again:
"An envoy from the Great Northern Dynasty wishes to pay his respects to Your Majesty."
The emperor then realized what was happening, immediately sat up straight, and hurriedly said, "Quickly, invite the envoy from the Celestial Empire."
The ministers quickly straightened their clothes and took their places. As envoys from the Celestial Empire, they were no ordinary people.
A short while later, Zhao Xian and Li Xue led Sun Heng into the palace, with Li Xue's four guards following behind, each carrying an exquisite gift box.
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